Forgotten Moments
by thebrunetteone
Summary: I love you too," I murmured, but he was in another place already... Sam & Astrid. "There was no way I could care, not in the slightest..." Diana & Caine
1. Support

**Disclaimer:** everything belongs to Michael Grant :)

**Title: **Support

**Characters: **Astrid & Sam

**Summary: **It's strange how when you most need support, you end up giving it to someone else

Inspired by "Use Somebody" – Kings of Leon

* * *

"And no one wants to help out. It's like no one cares enough to even listen," Sam said, exasperation clear in his voice. "And it's not like they're, like, stupid, you know? Everyone knows we're short on food, so why the – ''

"Sam. Sam!" I interrupted. "I _know_ it's tough, Sam. But we've discussed this all this afternoon; we agreed to have a meeting in the church tomorrow. So for now, let's just relax." I brushed my fingers over his jawbone to emphasize my words. It was tense beneath my fingers.

"I can't just sit around! There's more than just the food to worry about – we haven't heard anything from Caine in months. For all we know he's planning a full-scale attack right now," he cried. I leaned back on the sofa, letting out a resigned sigh. From behind, I could see the muscles straining in his back; especially over his shoulders.

A few uncomfortable moments later, he exhaled forlornly and leaned back, lowering his arm around my shoulders in the process.

"I'm sorry, babe." I flinched slightly at the word. He'd never called me any type of pet name before. I felt both a surge of happiness, and a sinking, disappointed kind of resignation at his choice of pet name. "I guess I kind of take it all out on you, huh?"

"Nothing like being a scapegoat," I muttered. I felt him cringe slightly next to me, and instantly felt guilty. I turned my body towards him, deliberately catching his eye.

"That was uncalled for, I apologise. Sam, I _want _to be here for you. What you go through, I go through. We do it together." His eyes glowed for a moment, so bright and honest, and he pulled me closer.

"I love you." His breath was soft in my ear, but it still managed to send tingles to my toes. He tucked my head under his chin and I caught the faint thump-thump of his heart in the silence of the night. So beautiful.

And then the moment was over; he turned his head as the stress returned to his features.

"I love you, too," I murmured, but he was in another place already.


	2. Care

**Title: **Care

**Characters:** Diana & Caine

**Summary:** Sometimes you just don't know what you're getting yourself into

Inspired by "In Too Deep" – Sum41

* This is set in the three months following Caine's visit to the Darkness, in one of his lucid moments *

* * *

Caine was sprawled across the bed, sheets tangled in a sweaty mess around his legs, breathing heavily as another nightmare ravaged his mind. His arms were blindly pushing at phantom enemies, fists clenched childishly. I was glad for that; more often than not, he projected forces in his sleep, channelling his power through his palms. Every now and again he would groan the same few words, something about darkness. He was such a far cry from what he used to be.

I laid the tray on his bedside table, hoping he wasn't volatile enough to knock it off today.

"Caine," I said, almost bored. "Caine. Caine. Fearless Leader." He never responded to this, of course. I considered just leaving him to sleep. He was delusional; he wouldn't care if he missed breakfast. But then I felt it gnawing at me, just the teeniest, tiniest spark of it. Guilt. I don't know when I became capable of feeling that emotion. It had never bothered me before… before now.

"It's just the FAYZ," I muttered, and then louder: "Caine, come on, time to get up. Ca-aine… Breakfast time." His mouth twitched slightly. I leaned down and shook his shoulder gently. "Hey, wake up already, breakfast." He started blinking and stretching. He pulled himself into a sitting position, and I noticed that his eyes – thank God, or whatever cosmic forces there were – looked calm, if not entirely sane.

"What's this? Breakfast in bed? I never thought the day would come," he joked weakly. I sat on the edge of the bed, silent, as he swallowed half a bottle of water. He seemed stronger today. Maybe when he finally went to sleep tonight he wouldn't dream of it. The Darkness, or whatever it was.

"So what's on the menu today?"

"Beans," I played along with his light mood.

"You woke me up for _that_?" I felt a twinge of irritation at his bravado.

"Well I could have left you with your nightmares, Caine. Have you heard yourself? Whimpering, moaning all night about it… the gaiaphage. Is that your new fantasy? Have you given up on me, now?" My voice was cold, and I leaned away from him. So I was surprised when he responded dejectedly: "You know I wouldn't. Never."

Maybe he wasn't as strong as he seemed.

"Caine, just eat the beans," I said. I watched as he gingerly forced them down. His movie-star looks were giving away to the hunger. The only thing vaguely healthy about him was his hair, somehow still strong and shiny, and slightly bed-headed. It was hot.

"Why are you doing this?" his question took me by surprise.

"Doing what?" But I knew what he meant, I was just stalling. His eyes narrowed.

"Diana. I've been a mess these past few weeks. It could hardly have been fun looking after me. So why are you doing it?"

"Well someone needed to do it." He wouldn't fall for that. I wasn't the type to voluntarily clean up after a delusional megalomaniac. "Because I'm on your side."

"You could have switched to Drake's by now… or even my idiot brother's side."

"Well, I figured that I'd be safer if I stuck with you." It sounded weak, even to me. He leaned in to whisper:

"You're lying." I could hear the smile in his voice.

"Well what I'm supposed to say? That I'm Mother Theresa? That I _like_ cleaning your – '' but he interrupted my rant:

"Just tell the truth." His palms were both open, twitching to be used. There was a long, heavy pause.

"I don't know," I breathed. I didn't know what to say to him. That I'd figured he would eventually return to power, and then I would be in the good books then, and this was actually all about my survival in the future? Because I'd almost given up hope that he'd ever be normal again.

He looked at me, and I could see the smugness in his eyes. The cocky bastard thought I was in love with him. But I wasn't. I was here because… because I couldn't just give up. _Yeah, that's it_, I convinced myself. Because I wasn't capable of _love_, so there was no way I could care for Caine at all. There was no way I cared for him, not in the slightest.

He leaned in closer and pressed his dry lips against mine. Soft and demanding. And then, to my absolute shock, I felt myself kiss him back.

There was no way I cared for him, not in the slightest.


End file.
